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Universal Power

“You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.”  This verse struck me in a new way today.  Not because of the sheer magnitude of it’s importance, but because of the context in which it was spoken.  I am referring to Matthew 4:10 and it was Jesus that quotes this Scripture to Satan, after Satan wants Jesus to worship him. 

Think about this.  God (John 1:1), in human flesh (John 1:14), who inspired the Scriptures for man (2 Tim 3:16-17) is now quoting them back to a being that is not human and lives in a different realm.  This shows the universal impact of the inspired Word of God.  Jesus doesn’t quote from some heavenly doxology or some unwritten ideology, he uses a commandment spoken to men for his defense.  The truth spoken in the pages of our Bible hold the same power in heaven as they do on earth. 

I just found that amazing.  That Jesus could have used anything for his defense and yet he goes to the written and inspired Word.  The power of the Word of God goes far beyond the borders of our planet, but hold true for all beings everywhere. 

Application

It seems brutally obvious, but if Jesus used Scripture to combat the temptations of the evil one, how much more should we.  How can we use Scripture if we don’t know Scripture?  How can we defend against the misuse of Scripture (as Satan did) unless we “ginosko” (Greek for “come to know”) the Word of God. 

Read Matt. 4:1-11

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Inspired by Ted Williams